Gary Neville accused Chelsea's players of "turning it on and off like a tap" after Maurizio Sarri's criticism of his squad, and revealed more about the level of player power at Stamford Bridge.

Sarri fumed at his side after they floundered to a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday, their fifth loss in their last 12 games, and accused them of being difficult to motivate during an explosive rant translated from his native Italian.

Neville said the number of previous Chelsea managers who had revealed problems in the Stamford Bridge dressing room was too much to ignore - but added Sarri may not be around long enough to fully address the problem.

He said on the Gary Neville Podcast: "Sarri knows he's going to get sacked at some point in the next 18 months or two years, that's inevitable at Chelsea. He may as well call it how he sees it in the first six months when he's got a little bit of control.

"It's just a dressing room which can turn it on and off like a tap, it's been able to do that for years. Sarri has probably thought he's an experienced guy, he's been around the block, and thinks he doesn't need to take it.

"I have to say normally I would always say it's not right to call out your players. But we're going to see more of it, there's no doubt in the next five or 10 years. I think it'll become the norm, because it's us or them.

"When managers have an aspect of control in the early parts of their jobs, they'll have to seize it and basically will realise they are a difficult bunch at Chelsea. In the last 10-15 years, they've had the power to remove managers."

Neville recalled a game in 2012 when he first became aware of the level of player power at Chelsea, in the build-up to their 3-1 Champions League defeat by Napoli which would go some way to costing Andre Villas-Boas, the club's manager at the time, his job.

He said: "There were noises in the afternoon, I was covering the game for Sky and there were agents of players ringing Sky reporters and commentators who were out there. It was the day Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard were left out, and Michael Essien.

"I remember thinking about those players dropping in that he's lost the dressing room, he's left three big players out, that was before a Champions League game. They won it that season, and I thought 'Whoa, is this what happens on the other side?'

He said: "There were noises in the afternoon, I was covering the game for Sky and there were agents of players ringing Sky reporters and commentators who were out there. It was the day Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard were left out, and Michael Essien.

"I remember thinking about those players dropping in that he's lost the dressing room, he's left three big players out, that was before a Champions League game. They won it that season, and I thought 'Whoa, is this what happens on the other side?'

"I'd been at Manchester United as a player and seen a period of tranquillity, and players certainly don't go to their agents to tell the media about what's going on. But it's been like that - that's the type of club it is in terms of the way it operates.

"Covering the second leg at Stamford Bridge, the players did that huddle on the pitch and basically took over the team."
]]>Thorhttps://www.itchyforum.com/en/showthread.php?338940-Gary-Neville-surprised-at-Chelsea-player-power-after-Maurizio-Sarri-outburstJose Mourinho says he lacked help in Manchester United jobhttps://www.itchyforum.com/en/showthread.php?338928-Jose-Mourinho-says-he-lacked-help-in-Manchester-United-job&goto=newpost
Sat, 19 Jan 2019 01:40:33 GMTImage: http://www.xpmg.co.uk/images/2019/01/19/a1.jpg
Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said coaches need structures in place...

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said coaches need structures in place to support them as he broke his silence following his sacking by highlighting the difficulties he faced at the Premier League club.

Mourinho was dismissed by United in December 2018 after a rancour-filled final few months in the job amid media reports of conflicts with players.

Appearing as an analyst with BeInSports television, Mourinho repeated that his second-placed finish with United last season was one of the best achievements of his career and went on to outline the challenges he said he faced.

"People might say: 'This guy is crazy, he won 25 titles and now he says that second position with United was one of his best achievements in football," Mourinho said.

"I keep saying this because people don't know what is going on behind the scenes."

Mourinho made his point by talking about the set-up that managers need to have in place in order to be successful.

"We are not any more in a time when the coach by himself is powerful enough to cope," he said.

"The coach nowadays needs a structure, he needs a club organised in a certain way.

"The club must have an owner or a president, a CEO or executive director, a football director and then the manager. This is the structure that can cope with all the problems modernity is bringing all of us.

"A club must be very well organised to cope with all these kind of situations where the manager is only the manager and not the man that is trying to keep the discipline or is trying to educate the players," he added.

"(Former United manager) Sir Alex Ferguson used to say the day a player is more important than a club, goodbye," said the Portuguese, a former Real Madrid and Inter Milan coach.

"Not any more. The manager ought to be there to coach the players, not to keep the discipline at any cost. You need a structure to protect the manager and keep everything in place, so that the players do not arrive in a situation where they feel more powerful than they used to be."

United have won all five games in the Premier League since former player, Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, took charge of the side on an interim basis following Mourinho's departure.

Mourinho, who also had two spells in the Premier League with Chelsea, said he aims to be back in full-time management and has no intention of retiring yet.

"I want to coach. I belong to top-level football and (that) is where I am going to be.

"I am too young, I am in football for a long, long time but I will be 56 in a couple of weeks and am really too young."
]]>Thorhttps://www.itchyforum.com/en/showthread.php?338928-Jose-Mourinho-says-he-lacked-help-in-Manchester-United-jobManchester United: The risehttps://www.itchyforum.com/en/showthread.php?338871-Manchester-United-The-rise&goto=newpost
Fri, 11 Jan 2019 19:54:09 GMTI am a Manchester United fan and am loving how things are right now..the thrill is hard to contain..next up is Tottenham.
I pray we play the kind of...I am a Manchester United fan and am loving how things are right now..the thrill is hard to contain..next up is Tottenham.
I pray we play the kind of attacking football Ole has brought to the team..win his 6th straight game..prove a point,.:p
]]>mikkelkasperhttps://www.itchyforum.com/en/showthread.php?338871-Manchester-United-The-rise